21st Century Insurance Review 2026

21st Century is only good for drivers in California with an existing policy. If you want a new policy, you can consider Toggle or Farmers (Farmers owns both Toggle and 21st Century). If you already have a policy in California, 21st Century may be a good option if you’re a senior age 55 and over, as you could qualify for a discount.

However, 21st Century will not work for anyone outside of California, or anyone who wants minimum coverage, as prices are much higher than the national average. Additionally, if you wanted to try pay-per-mile insurance or a safe driving program, 21st Century is not for you, as neither form of usage-based insurance is available.

21st Century costs an average of $2,951 per year, above the national average of $2,356. Its minimum coverage rates are also higher than average, at $1,170 per year compared to an annual average of $722.

There are two main ways to save on car insurance from 21st Century: the first category has to do with the driver, i.e. me, and the second category has to do with my vehicle itself. Because of my clean driving record, free of accidents or tickets in the past three years, with only one moving violation in the past three years, I qualify for a safe driver discount of 20 percent. That’s around the average amount most people save, but it could be higher.

As far as vehicle discounts, I qualify for a 15 percent discount due to my car’s anti-theft system. I could have also gotten a discount for having multiple cars or drivers on my policy, but since it’s just me, I couldn’t take advantage. Too bad!

Here’s a complete list of all the discounts that 21st Century offers:

• Superior driver discount: Available for those who qualify for the good driver discount, this discount would apply if I maintained a safe driving record for four to five years. The average discount ranges from 10 to 20 percent.
• Mature driver discount: Senior drivers 55 and older who take a state-recognized defensive driving class save an average of 2 percent on liability coverage premiums.
• Good student discount: Last but not least, students under the age of 25 who maintain grades of “B” or higher can get an average of 15 percent off.

Because I live in Pennsylvania, when I put in my state on the company website’s homepage, I was redirected to a bunch of other carriers, as 21st Century only services Californians with existing policies. California residents seeking new policies are directed to the Toggle or Farmers page.

Along with the standard car insurance coverages, which includes liability insurance, collision and comprehensive coverage, medical payments coverage, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, 21st Century also offers:

• Roadside assistance: Although this page redirects to Toggle, I’m going to assume that you can still get roadside assistance from 21st Century. According to the Toggle website, it includes towing, tire changes, fuel deliveries, lockout services, battery jumpstarts, and winching services, 24/7 for up to three trips within six months.¹
• Rental car coverage: If my car was being repaired for a covered claim, rental car coverage would have paid for a rental vehicle.

This is pretty bare bones in terms of coverages, and does not include gap coverage, which may be required for loaned/leased vehicles. Additionally, the company does not offer accident forgiveness, so my rates would increase after an accident. However, the company provides enough to satisfy California’s requirements and more, so it’s an option if you want full coverage insurance and minimal add-ons, or just minimum coverage.

Generally, 21st Century (or, if that wasn’t available, its parent company Farmers) has below average customer satisfaction ratings. In J.D. Power’s Auto Insurance study, it scored below average in the California region. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, 21st Century has received about twice as many complaints as average for a company of its size.

However, it does boast excellent financial strength scores from AM Best, Moody’s, and Standard and Poor’s — meaning you can count on 21st Century to have the monetary backing to pay for your claims.

There are a few ways to file a claim with 21st Century. You can do so online by logging into the company’s website. You can also call the company 24/7. However, there is no mobile app, as you can see below, so that is where the options end.

J.D. Power’s Auto Insurance study includes Farmers, not 21st Century directly. For California, the company scored below average. Additionally, in the CRASH Network’s 2026 report, the company got a C- rating and is ranked 70 out of 91 total options—however, that was on par with other major national insurers.⁸ On average, you can expect a claim to be closed in about 30 days, or longer if there were injuries involved.

21st Century no longer has mobile apps, although they have in the past. When I looked in both the App and Google Play stores, the only apps I could find were from Farmers, its parent company. This is a disadvantage if you want to show your insurance ID card on your smartphone, or if you want to submit a claim through the app directly.

Its website is very bare-bones, with no information on its coverages and no online support center.

To me, both the lack of an app and the minimal website show me that Farmers is pushing its customers to Toggle, if they haven’t been moved there already. That said, if you do go down that route, in California, 21st Century underwrites Toggle’s policies, so your coverage (or your premiums) won’t change due to that transition.

At AutoInsurance.com, we assess car insurance providers in these four areas:

• Price (40%): We look at average premiums for full and minimum coverage for good drivers with good credit, as well as with higher-risk profile, including DUIs, accidents, speeding tickets, or low credit. We also consider the discounts each provider offers. Full coverage premium averages use the following limits:
  • Bodily injury liability: $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $100,000 per accident
  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist bodily injury: $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident
  • Comprehensive and collision: $500 deductible
• Claims Handling (25%): A good claims handling process from an auto insurer is prompt, transparent, and efficient. We assess claims practices through independent sources like CRASH Network’s Insurer Report Card and J.D. Power’s Claims Satisfaction Report. For financial strength, we use sources like AM Best and S&P Ratings. Real-life customer experiences are included when available.
• Customer Experience (25%): We evaluate the ease of the customer journey, from getting a quote and purchasing a policy to making changes or accessing documents. We consider the availability and quality of both online and agent interactions, as well as the functionality of the company’s website and mobile app. Our sources include J.D. Power studies, the NAIC complaint index, BBB ratings, and app store reviews.
• Coverage Options (10%): We review each company’s coverage offerings and value providers with options beyond the state required minimums, like accident forgiveness, gap coverage, rideshare coverage, and more.

Read more about our ratings and methodology.